The introduction of Gritty as the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 24, 2018 was the most exciting thing to happen to the Flyers in decades. Forty years of mediocrity had shrouded the Flyers in irrelevance, but suddenly, they found themselves at the forefront of national conversation about the demon-spawn they call their mascot.
In the months following its unveiling, the 7-foot orange fuzzball with its thousand-yard stare had tackled sumo wrestlers and threatened the mascot of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Its presence forced the Philadelphia City Council to adopt a resolution “honoring the spirit and passion that Gritty has brought to the City of Philadelphia and to the entire country, both on and off the ice.”
Then, in November 2019, Gritty added another line to its already detailed resume: allegedly punching a 13-year old child.
The mascot with a tendency to “bully” is under investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department for reportedly punching a teenager during a photoshoot with season-ticket holders. According to the allegations, the teen tapped Gritty on the head after a photo, and Gritty responded by punching the victim in the back after getting a running start. No recording of the alleged attack exists.
The Flyers conducted an internal investigation but found no evidence to support the claims made by the teenager’s father. The Philadelphia Police Department is still investigating.
Several chapters of this bizarre story are under scrutiny, especially since it took two months for the reported attack to go public and because no recordings of the incident exist. Twitter sleuths have also reported that the victim’s father posted — and deleted — several Flyers-related pictures to his Facebook shortly after the incident, but those claims are unconfirmed.
This story is an unusual one, to say the least. The nature of claims and lack of hard evidence make the victim’s case hard to prove, but who knows what will materialize from the police investigation? What is truly extraordinary, however, is not the event itself, but rather the response to it.
Depending on what you read, it seems that Gritty’s persona has transcended the realm of role-playing. The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, ended their article with a quote attributed to Gritty itself rather than the actor playing him — a testament to Gritty’s cult of personality.
Similar reports by the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer also refer to Gritty as a mascot, and not merely a person playing the role of an orange, mercurial force of nature. Further, Gritty’s sudden rise to fame has emboldened it with an almost religious following ready to defend it at a moment’s notice. It has become such a beloved figure, at least in Philadelphia, that many believe that it could do no wrong despite its long track record of questionable decisions.
Nothing about this larger-than-life phenomenon that is Gritty makes sense. Neither its origin nor actions against sumo wrestlers are comprehensible. Its adoption by left-wing political organizations is absurdity defined. Now, there are serious allegations that he assaulted a 13-year old Flyers fan that has been accompanied by animated media coverage and a fierce defense by fans.
The allegations of physical violence don’t even seem serious. Rather, they feel like just another chapter to the fantastic tale of Gritty.
